?Chapter 591:


    “Are you seriously job hunting?” she asked. She had no idea what his family was involved in—and she wasn’t about to start digging.


    “Yeah.” There was a stillness in Ellis’s gaze, the kind that made it impossible to tell if he was dead serious or just messing around. “I’m turning thirty next month. If someone asks what I do for a living on a date, I can’t exactly say I’m unemployed.”


    The simplicity of the remark somehow struck a chord in Freya, sparking an unexpected worry.


    Without thinking, she blurted, “That’s true. You’re not getting any younger.”


    Ellis let out a soft, exasperatedugh. Was she seriously calling him old?


    “I don’t have the youthful stamina you do,” Ellis said evenly, unbothered.


    Freya scrambled to rify, “That’s not what I meant.”


    “You’re saying I’m not old?”


    Freya opened her mouth, but no words came out.


    Ellis chuckled under his breath.


    Compliments were never Freya’s strong suit, but she gave it a try anyway. “Thirty is when life really begins. You’re still young.”


    “And how does it feel to say something you don’t actually believe?”


    “Captain…”


    Why did he always have to call her out like that?


    Ellis moved his piece with finality. “Freya, you’ve lost.”


    Freya snapped back to the present.


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    One nce at the chaos on the chessboard, and she knew—her captain was a sly one. He’d pulled out every trick in the book: distracting her, throwing her off bnce, all just to win a game of chess.


    “You really need to work on bncing offense and defense,” Ellis rose to his full height, those long legs of his impossible to ignore. “Have you all been cking off for the past two years?”


    Freya was at a loss for words. She had known this was a trap!


    “Let’s eat,” Ellis said simply.


    This time, Freya didn’t protest.


    She understood—mental resilience was everything, no matter where you were. With a strong mind, she could push forward or hold the line, survive anything thrown her way.


    When her heart was in pieces, that same resilience had carried her through.


    She knew her captain meant well. But did he have toe down on her so hard the very first time they met again? She felt slightly overwhelmed.


    Over lunch, Josiah and Ellis chatted like old friends.


    As they talked, Josiah caught the odd look on Freya’s face and asked,


    “Freya, what’s wrong?”


    “Nothing.”


    “Did Ellis make things hard for you?”


    Freya instinctively nced at her captain and shook her head. “No.”


    “He’s not your captain anymore. You don’t have to be scared of him,” Josiah said knowingly. “If he gives you trouble, just say the word and I’ll help you knock him down a peg.”


    “Okay.” Freya allowed herself a small smile.


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